Cashew Crunch Edamame Salad
Published 1/8/2025
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This cashew crunch edamame salad is not only veggie-packed, it’s loaded with 30g of protein per serving. Our homemade chili crunch cashews and creamy cashew butter dressing get tossed with edamame, cucumber, sugar snap peas, carrots, quinoa and a whole bunch of herbs for one of the most epic salads we’ve ever created.
We love a good, hearty salad over here, and that’s no secret! We’ve been making veggie-packed quinoa salads for years, and this beaut of an edamame salad might take the cake for our new favorite 👑 It packs a whopping 30g of protein per serving, can be meal prepped ahead of time (thank you, hearty veggies — insert –> edamame!), and the homemade chili crunch cashews are just omg so so so good.
Speaking of, did you know that edamame has 17g of protein per cup? We’ve been adding it to everything lately to get that extra protein– ground beef ramen, air fryer salmon bites bowls, and coconut chicken.
what sets this edamame salad apart?
Our showstopper is — THE HOMEMADE CHILI CRUNCH CASHEWS! Made with raw cashews, chili crunch, honey, and course salt, they’re simple yet so flavor-packed. We’ve been making larger batches just to snack on 😋
Runner up for show stopping ingredient is the homemade dressing. It’s super creamy thanks to cashew butter, a lil bit spicy thanks to garlic chili sauce, and perfectly tart courtesy of a fresh squeeze of lime juice.
What makes this salad so high in protein?
You can thank the following vegetarian protein powerhouses:
- Edamame: 17g protein per 1 cup
- Cashews: 5g protein per 1/4 cup
- Quinoa: 7g protein per 1 cup
Hearty Enough for a Main Dish
It takes a special salad to pack enough substance to be eaten as a main dish, and boy is this salad one of them! 30g of protein means you’ll fill yourself with delicious and nutritious ingredients that come together to make a hearty and flavorful salad. What you’ll get:
- Super creamy cashew chili garlic dressing
- Homemade chili crunch cashews that are actually super easy to make on the stovetop.
- Veggie-packed salad with edamame, quinoa, carrots, cucumber, sugar snap peas, red onion, green onion, cilantro and mint. YUM!
Top Tips for Our Cashew Crunch Edamame Salad
Make ahead: You can make the dressing and quinoa up to a day in advance, store them separately, and then toss everything together just before serving.
Add protein: For even more protein, add our teriyaki salmon or air fryer tofu on top of your salad.
Double the recipe: This salad makes great leftovers and can be enjoyed for lunch or dinner the next day.
How long does this last in the fridge?
If you have leftovers, we recommend storing the salad and cashews separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator. The salad will stay fresh for up to 5 days, and the cashews will stay fresh for a week.
Cashew Crunch Edamame Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Chili Crunch Cashews
- 1.5 cups raw cashews
- 1 tablespoon chili crunch, we like the Momofuku brand!
- 2 teaspoons honey
- ½ teaspoon coarse salt
Dressing
- ⅓ cup creamy all-natural cashew butter
- 2.5 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1.5 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic chili sauce*
- 1.5 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
Salad
- 2 cups cooked white quinoa
- 2 cups shelled edamame
- 2 cups matchstick carrots
- 2 cups sliced cucumbers, sliced into half-moons
- 2 cups sliced sugar snap peas
- ½ cup thinly sliced red onion
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- ¼ cup chopped fresh mint
- 3 green onions, chopped
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Begin by preparing the cashews. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the cashews and toast for 2 minutes, stirring periodically. Add the cashew crunch and honey to the cashews and toss. Cook for an additional 2 minutes or until the cashews begin to brown.
- Transfer the cashews to a plate and season with salt. Put them in the refrigerator or freezer to cool.
- Next, place all the dressing ingredients into a bowl and whisk. The dressing will feel thick at first, but continue to whisk and it will thin out. If the dressing is still thick (this is determined by how oily the cashew butter is), add 1 teaspoon of water until it reaches the desired consistency. Set aside.
- Add the quinoa, edamame, carrots, cucumbers, peas, red onion, cilantro, mint, and green onion to a bowl and toss. Season with salt and toss again.
- Dress the salad and toss until coated. Add the cashews and toss again. Enjoy immediately or refrigerate.
Tips & Notes
- If you would like a spicier dressing, add 1-2 teaspoons more of chili garlic sauce.
- Feel free to mix up the type of vegetables you use in this salad.
- If you would like to add protein to this salad, we recommend our teriyaki salmon or air fryer tofu.
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Photography: photos taken in this post are by Erin from The Wooden Skillet.
Made this for dinner last night & the dressing seemed a little bland. Added extra chili garlic sauce which helped but next time I’ll increase the lime, vinegar & soy in the dressing & maybe add sesame oil. Cashew butter is pretty mild & I almost wanted the nuttiness of peanut butter in this recipe. Would also be good with shredded chicken thrown in. Good overall but just missing a flavor punch in the dressing.
Any suggestions for a fish sauce substitute so this is vegetarian friendly?
To make this as a meal prep, should I store the dressing separately or mix in with the salad?
I would actually dress the salad, but store the cashews separately! Since there isn’t lettuce, this will last like 5 days!
What is chili crunch? Crushed red pepper flakes, or something else? It’s listed as an ingredient for the cashews. This looks great!
Here’s what we use: goto.target.com/o4nYjY